Roach: People deal with stress in many different ways

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 55-year-old female. I work at a computer (data input) at a school. Whenever I get really stressed at work, I get a tightness around my chest and back, and my voice changes. People can always tell when I need to take a break because my voice sounds like I'm almost whispering. It goes away when I leave the workplace. What would cause this? -- D.M.

Dr. Roach: People express stress in different ways. Many people experience increased muscle tension in their neck, shoulders and upper back, as it sounds like you might, and this often can lead to neckaches, lower-back discomfort and headaches. Other people get stomach discomfort, nausea or diarrhea when under emotional stress. If these are mild and self-limited, I generally try to avoid treating the symptoms and instead work on stress-reduction techniques.

Changes to the voice are less common but well-described as a response to emotional stress. Hoarseness or total loss of voice under emotional stress is possible. It's not clear what the exact mechanism is. Given that the symptoms get better when you leave the stressful situation, I have very low worry that there is something seriously wrong. Stress-reduction techniques - such as mindful breathing, meditation or visualization - may be extremely helpful.

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Roach: People deal with stress in many different ways

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 55-year-old female. I work at a computer (data input) at a school. Whenever I get really stressed at work, I get a tightness around my chest and back, and my voice changes.